On a day when championship favorites Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin struggled, Joey Logano impressed many at Atlanta on Sunday. In the process, he took a massive step to challenge for the title but also gave Ford the hope of another title chance. Interestingly, even the stats favor Logano for another championship shot in Phoenix this year.

It came as a shock last season when the Team Penske driver was eliminated in the Round of 16. For the first time in his Cup Series career, Logano struggled to go beyond the first round of the playoffs. However, a victory at Atlanta on Sunday ensured the #22 driver was on the right path in 2024. In fact, he is likely to beat past Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick for an unexpected record this year. That surely makes him a contender, right?

Is Joey Logano an underrated contender to win the 2024 Cup Series title?

With two Cup Series championships to his name, Joey Logano is more often than not one of the favorites to win every season. However, it has been problematic for him to win in the competition until he visited Nashville this year. Logano ensured his playoff spot and ended his 49-race winless streak with a win in Tennessee.

That said, the Team Penske driver hasn’t looked as sharp in 2024 as he would. With 2 wins, 5 top-5, and 9 top-10 finishes in the 27 races this year, Joey Logano has struggled to perform as well as his other championship contenders. While the results suggest underperformance, it clearly reflects the high stakes in the Cup Series.

However, with the win in Atlanta, Logano seems to have changed the odds in his favor. Not only has he booked his place in the Round of 12, but also looks set for a promising time in the playoffs. As he rightly said after the Atlanta win, “When it is playoff time, it is our time.” It certainly looks so given how his past record has been in the knockouts.

Since the playoff format began in 2014, Joey Logano has made it to the Championship 4 five times. Interestingly, the presence in the finale has come every alternate year, starting from 2014. Although he didn’t advance past the round of 16 in qualifying, the #22 driver has favorable statistics this year. Another incentive for him would be the record he could break should he make it to the 2024 finale in Phoenix.

If Joey Logano qualifies for the Championship 4, he would make it for the sixth time in the current format. This would help him make the all-time Championship 4 appearances, a record he is currently jointly holding with Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and even Martin Truex Jr. While even Truex Jr could take hold of that record given the current form, the Team Penske driver is more likely to register it.

Without a doubt, it is going to be interesting how Logano fares from here on. Given his latest comments, it sure looks like he is in no mood to take things lightly.

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Joey Logano sends a 6-word battle cry to his Cup Series competitors following the Atlanta heroics

After last year’s elimination, Joey Logano needed a good start in the playoffs. While the victory in Atlanta gave him that, he couldn’t have asked for a better outing. What helped Logano was how Kyle Larson, Martin Truex Jr, and Denny Hamlin struggled on Sunday. Not only does it put pressure on these championship contenders, but it also gives the Team Penske driver the confidence to capitalize more.

Having said that, Logano dismissed the pattern of qualifying for the Championship 4 every year helped his cause. Speaking to the press after the Atlanta race, the 34-year-old said, “I’m okay with it. It’s just I don’t believe in luck ever or just weird things like that. I think it’s just a coincidence. I hope it’s right this year, but it doesn’t just come automatic because that’s what the numbers have been and the pattern that’s been shown over the last 10 years.”

While it is an interesting stat, there’s still plenty to do for it to come true. Understandably, neither is Joey Logano taking it lightly. When discussing how Christopher Bell expressed his happiness with the racing despite not winning the race, Logano sided with him. He said, “I think people like racing. I mean we all do this because we like racing, we like to drive fast.”

Nevertheless, Joey Logano saw this as an opportunity to clarify his intentions. Despite claiming he enjoys the racing, the two-time Cup Series champion sent out a sound message, in six words, to the title contenders. He said, “I don’t do this for fun.” Logano added, “I do it to win. We do it to make money, to put championships, and get trophies. That’s why we do it.”

Clearly, the Team Penske driver couldn’t have been more obvious with his approach. Now, it will be interesting to see how he approaches the remaining two races in the Round of 16. Will the even-year pattern turn out true this year as well? We shall soon find out.